Stop the RIAA from using the Department of Justice to do its dirty work

Submitted by John Sullivan on September 19, 2008 - 2:41pm

The RIAA is continuing to try coercion to prop up its illegitimate and
unethical business model. First, it is suing attorney Ray Beckerman over the
revealing articles on his blog, Recording Industry vs The
People. Beckerman has been
instrumental in defending people victimized by the RIAA's tactics and has
supported the DefectiveByDesign campaign.

Second, along with the MPAA, the RIAA has written and is pushing S.
3325, the
Enforcement of Intellectual Property Act of 2008, through the Senate.

You can tell this bill is trouble just from the propaganda term "intellectual
property" in the name, which is an
attempt to trick us into thinking about the questions involved in a way most
profitable to the RIAA.

In the last five years, the RIAA filed or threatened more than 30,000 suits
against alleged infringers. Apparently they are tired of doing this
intimidation themselves and want your civil servants to do it for them, and for
you to fund it with your taxes.

This Enforcement bill burdens the Department of Justice with the obligation to
pursue civil suits against people the RIAA and MPAA accuse of illegal
copying -- with any money involved going back to the media companies!

Even the repressive copyright regime we have now obligates the government to
represent the public's interest in promoting progress in science and the arts through
sharing and the dissemination of knowledge. If the government starts working
for the media companies, they will be working against the public interest, and
we will surely see attempts to give legitimacy back to Digital Restrictions
Management (DRM) systems -- unethical restrictions that squash so much useful
sharing, education, and communication.

Help stop this bill by calling and emailing key senators including members
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Presidential candidates McCain and
Obama. It's critical that we do this as soon as possible -- they are trying to
have it pass without a full vote in the Senate.

Hi there, my name is NAME and I'm a potential voter in STATE. I'm calling in
opposition to S. 3325, "The Enforcement of Intellectual Property Act." As a
tax payer, I oppose spending public funds for the Department of Justice to
take civil actions against the citizens they are supposed to be representing
on behalf of the major media companies -- and then turning the profits over to
those companies. Instead, the government should be investigating and condeming
the legal tactics already used by groups like the RIAA and MPAA, who are
profiting by abusing the legal system. I understand this bill could pass today
and I urge the Senator to oppose and put a hold on this bill.

When you're calling John Kyl of Arizona, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Sam
Brownback of Kansas, or Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, make sure to thank them for
their initial opposition to the bill and ask them to hold their positions.

To do a little extra to get the word out, vote this bill down at
OpenCongress.